Dipping machine for producing seamless articles from substances in solution



Oct. 25, 1938.

A. BOECLER DIPPING MACHINE FOR PRODUCING SEAMLESS ARTICLES FROM SUBSTANCES IN SOLUTION Filed Oct. 26, 1935 Patented Oct. 25, 1938 DIPPING MACHINE FOR PRODUCING SEAM- LESS ARTICLES FR'OM SUBSTANCES IN V SOLUTION Albert Boecler, Berlin, Germany Application October 26, 1933,.Serlal No. 695,357 5 Claims. (01. 18-24) The object of the invention is a dipping machine for producing seamless objects or articles from dissolved substances like rubber, cellulosic compounds and the like. In such machines cores 5 corresponding to the shape of the objects to be produced are dipped into the solution either by lowering the cores into the solution contained in j a stationary vat or by lifting a vat towards stationary cores or by moving the vat and the cores. Thereafter by a return movement the cores are removed from the solution, a layer of which adheres to the core and forms the seamless article, a

which thereafter is removed from the core. In such machines for obtaining uniform products 1 it is important to maintain constant the depth of i dipping, for which purpose it is necessary to maintain constant not only the length of the above dipping stroke but also the level of the liquid .in the vat.

0 According to the invention this problem is solved by the feature that with the vat a container for the solution similar to a Mariette bottle or chicken feed mechanism is firmly connected,-

at the separation of the cores andthe vat always from the solution container so much solution 35 flows into the vat as has adhered to the cores.

It can happen that the four bars of a core carrier are supporting cores with different displace-- ment volumes, which cores are alternately dipped into the solution. Now because the difierent displacement volume causes a different raising of the level of the solutionin the different dipping operations it is impossible to adjust all the different dipping cores on the diiferent supporting bars to the same limit of dipping level.

Now according to the present invention for enabling such a uniform adjustment the raising of the solution in the vat at the operation of dipping the cores into the solution is-limited by an overflow making independent of the displacement 50 volume of the dipping cores the maximum height of the level of the solution. Of course for that purpose the tank or container for the solution must have a surplus content corresponding to the maximal quantity ofthe solution flowing oil into 55 the overflow pipe.

The solution tank or container is firmly connected with the dipping vat and has at the top a filling opening, which may be closed in an airtight manner by a lid or cover. The pipe connecting the tank with the vat is provided with a closure valve, which is closed, if the solution container is refilled, and which then remains closed until the filling-opening is again sealed in an airtight manner.

In the drawing such a dipping machine is m showmdiagrammatically.

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the dipping machine.

Fig. 2 is a-similar partial view of a modificatlOIl. I

The core-carrier l supports four core supporting bars, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, the cores 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d of which are to be dipped alternately into the solution. The carrier l is rotatable about an axle 4,

which can be lowered togetherwith the carrier 0 into the position 4" indicated in dotted lines, in which position the downwardly suspended cores as for instance 31: are embedded into the solution in the dipping vat 5. Anysuitable means may be used for lowering the carrier, the means 5 shown comprising a rope l5 formed in' a loose loop I6 around the axle l, and passing over a pulley I! to a source of power not shown. The vat .5

is filled with solution to the level 6, in which level to the vat is connected a tank or container I supported by a bracket 8 secured to the vat. Liquid from thetank I may enter into-the vat 5 through the pipe 9 provided with a closure valve Hi. The tank I is arranged above the vat 5 and has at the top a 'fllling opening II with a cover 5 I2 for closing the opening H in an air-tight manner. At.the same level, at which the connecting pipe 9 is connected to the vat 5 or at a slightly higher level an overflow pipe l3 can be provided, from which under certain conditions solution may 40 flow into a return conduit I 4. Instead of mov ing vertically the core-carrier l for the purpose of dipping the vat 5 can be moved vertically together with tank I or the carrier aswell as the vat can both. be moved vertically. 4 a

According to the modification shown in Fig.2

iiothe connecting pipe 9 is connecteda swingable pipe 9a projecting into the vat 5. By. vertical swinging adjustment of this pipe 8a the level, until which after the, return part of the dipping 5o stroke the solution'is delivered from the tank I to the vat, can be regulated at will. In a similar manner the overflow pipe-if any-can be constructed in the form of a vertically swingable pipe l3a, by the adjustment of'which the raising lated to closely approximate the minimum dis-' placement of the cores and the amount of fluid passing through the overflow pipe reduced to a minimum. Also the adjustable overflow affords aconvenient means of closely regulating the depth of submergence of the cores.

{The operation of the device is as follows:

At the beginning of work the vat 5 is filled with the solution nearly to the level 6. The closure valve In is closed and thereupon the'cover I2 is opened and through the opening II also the tank or container 1 is filled with solution. Thereupon the cover I2 is closed in an air-tight manner'and the valve I0 is opened. Now with exchange of air through the pipe 9 the solution in the vat 5 rises until the level 6, at which the exchange of air is interrupted and thereby also the outflow of solution from the tank 1 into the vat 5. If

now for instance by lowering the core-carrier I a series of cores as for instance 3a is dipped into the solution in the vat 5, the cores are displacing a certain volume of solution, whereby the level in the vat 5 is raised. Because by the same cores 3a in repeated dipping operation always the same amount of solution is displaced, the level of the solution at each dipping operation rises to the same height, whereby a dipping of the cores 3a into the solution to always the same depth is secured. the level of the solution in the vat 5 falls somewhat beneath the initial height, because some solution adheres to the cores. :However now the exchange of air between the vat 5 and the tank I becomes efiective, whereby it is caused that the vat 5 is refilled from. the tank I precisely to the level 6. This operation is repeated until the desired number of articles has been produced by the cores 3a. 1

In theevent that the cores as for instance 3b and 30 supported by the difierent bars as for instance 2b and 2c may have diflerent volumes the vat 5 can still be provided with an overflow pipe 13, the level of which is selected so with respect to the level of the lower orifice ofs the tube 9, that in the operation of dipping the cores oi. smallest displacement volume the solution in the vat 5 rises at least until the overflow pipe l3. If

' cores of a bigger displacement volume as for instance 3c are dipped, more solution is displaced; however the level of the solution in the vat 5 in dipping cannot rise above the overflow pipe l3,

because the excessorsurplus of the displaced solutionflows-through the overflow pipe I! into the return pipe H Therebyvit has been made possible to adjust to the same dipping depth the cores of the different bars independently of any.

diiferences in displacement volume, because independently of the displacement volume the rising of the level of the solution in the vat 5 at the dipping operation-is always the same.

'01 course it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to any details above described.

At the return part of the dipping stroke of the level of the-solution in the vat can be Now what I claim is 1. In a dipping apparatus, a dipping tank to contain moldable material in fluid condition, a

conveying means, a plurality of mold cores supported thereon, means-to operate said conveying means to submerge said cores toa substantially uniform, predetermined depthdn said material, means for controlling the level of said material irrespective of the displacement thereof by said cores, said means comprising a source ofsupply to maintain a minimum level and means for removing a portion of said material upon increase of the same beyond a predetermined maximum level the volumetric diiference between said maximum and minimum levels being substantially equal to the displacement of the cores.

2. An apparatus for forming articles on cores by dipping said cores in moldable material in fluid condition, comprising in combination a tank for containing said material, a conveyor means, a plurality of mold cores supported thereon, means to operate said conveyor means, to alternately submerge said cores in said material and to remove them therefrom, means for maintaining a predetermined maximum level of said material in said tank relative to said cores when the same are submerged and means of maintaining a predetermined minimum level of said material in said tank when said cores are removed therefrom, said maximum and minimum levels delimiting a for containing said material, a conveyor means, a plurality ofmold cores mounted upon said conveyor means, means to operate said conveyor means to alternately submerge said cores insaid material and to remove them therefrom, and

volume of said material substantially approximeans for limiting the maximum and minimum levels of said material in said tank to provide a difference of volume between said levels substantially approximating the volume of said material displaced by said cores.

4. The method of forming articles upon mold cores which comprises the steps of moving the cores into. a tank, containing moldable material in fluid condition, a predetermined distance relative to the tank and controlling the maximum and minimum levels of the said material, in said tank,

to delimit a volume approximating the displacement of said cores. I

5. The method of forming articles upon mold cores which comprises the steps f mounting the" cores upon a carrier and moving the carrier with the cores thereon into predetermined core dipping relation to a tank containing moldable material in fluid condition so as to dip said cores in said material and maintaining. maximum and minimum. levels of the material in said tank to delimit a volume which approximates the displacement of ,said cores whereby said cores are immersed in said material to a uniform depth notwithstanding voluminal variations in said ores.

' ALBERT BOECLER. 

